Direct memory access (DMA) is a method of transferring data from one location to another location without the intervention of a device that initiates the data transfer. DMA transfers of data are performed by a DMA controller, which includes specialized hardware for conducting the DMA transfers quickly and efficiently. This allows for large data transfers to be conducted without imposing a significant burden on the device that initiated the data transfer. DMA data transfers are used for data transfers between various devices, e.g., input/output devices, and also for memory-to-memory data transfers.